Sonic sensing

ABSTRACT

A method for security and/or automation systems is described. In one embodiment, the method may include receiving image data associated with an area via an image sensor, receiving sound data associated with an object via an audio sensor, analyzing the image data in relation to the sound data, detecting an object&#39;s presence based at least in part on the analyzing, and identifying at least one characteristic relating to the object based at least in part on the detecting.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure, for example, relates to security and/orautomation systems, and more particularly to sonic sensing.

Security and automation systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication and functional features such as monitoring,communication, notification, and/or others. These systems may be capableof supporting communication with a user through a communicationconnection or a system management action.

Security cameras and other devices positioned outside a premises, suchas at a front door of a home or business, may be set to triggernotifications upon detecting motion. Such security cameras, however, maytrigger false positives that induce false alarms.

SUMMARY

The disclosure herein includes methods and systems for improving thedetection of objects in relation to a camera's field of view at apremises, thereby improving notification regarding such notificationsand reducing false alarms. In some embodiments, the present systems andmethods may appropriately distinguish between detected motion frompassing vehicles, motion from pedestrians walking on a sidewalk past thepremises, trees swaying, and events actually relating to a premises.These distinguishing detections may prevent a user from receivingseveral false alarms for motion at the entrance of the premises.

A method for security and/or automation systems is described. In oneembodiment, the method may include receiving image data associated withan area via an image sensor, receiving sound data associated with anobject via an audio sensor, analyzing the image data in relation to thesound data, detecting an object's presence based at least in part on theanalyzing, and/or identifying at least one characteristic relating tothe object based at least in part on the detecting.

In some embodiments, the method may include estimating a distance fromthe audio sensor to a detected sound associated with the object anddetermining whether the distance satisfies a distance threshold. In somecases, the audio sensor detects ultrasonic sound. In some cases, themethod may include identifying a type of the detected sound.Identifiable types of sound may include, but are not limited to, afootstep, a voice, a horn of a vehicle, an engine of a vehicle, aknocking on a door, a ringing of a doorbell, an opening of a door, arustling of clothing, a gunshot, a glass breaking, a rattling of keys,and/or the like. In some cases, estimating the distance from the audiosensor to the detected sound may be based at least in part onidentifying the type of the detected sound. In some embodiments, themethod may include generating a notification based at least in part onone or more characteristics and/or determinations, including determiningthe type of the detected sound.

In some embodiments, the method may include estimating a size of asource of the detected sound relative to a field of view of the imagesensor based at least in part on at least one of the distance and/or thetype of the detected sound. In some cases, the method may includeadjusting at least one characteristic of an automation component basedat least in part on determining whether the distance satisfies thedistance threshold. In some cases, the automation component may includeat least one of a motion sensor, the image sensor, a lock, a light, andthe audio sensor, etc. In some cases, the audio sensor may include anactive audio sensor. In some cases, the audio sensor may include apassive audio sensor. In some cases, the method may include adjusting atleast one characteristic of the image sensor based at least in part onthe distance and capturing image data of the area after the adjusting atleast one characteristic of the image sensor. In some embodiments, themethod may include estimating a location of the detected sound. In somecases, the method may track a source of the detected sound based atleast in part on a subsequent detected sound.

An apparatus for security and/or automation systems is also described.In one embodiment, the apparatus may include a processor, memory inelectronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored inthe memory, the instructions being executable by the processor toperform the steps of receiving image data associated with an area via animage sensor, receiving sound data associated with an object via anaudio sensor, analyzing the image data in relation to the sound data,detecting an object's presence based at least in part on the analyzing,and/or identifying at least one characteristic relating to the objectbased at least in part on the detecting.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium is also described. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium may store computer-executablecode, the code being executable by a processor to perform the steps ofreceiving image data associated with an area via an image sensor,receiving sound data associated with an object via an audio sensor,analyzing the image data in relation to the sound data, detecting anobject's presence based at least in part on the analyzing, and/oridentifying at least one characteristic relating to the object based atleast in part on the detecting.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of examples according to this disclosure so that thefollowing detailed description may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages will be described below. The conception andspecific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of theconcepts disclosed herein—including their organization and method ofoperation—together with associated advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purpose ofillustration and description only, and not as a definition of the limitsof the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the presentdisclosure may be realized by reference to the following drawings. Inthe appended figures, similar components or features may have the samereference label. Further, various components of the same type may bedistinguished by following a first reference label with a dash and asecond label that may distinguish among the similar components. However,features discussed for various components—including those having a dashand a second reference label—apply to other similar components. If onlythe first reference label is used in the specification, the descriptionis applicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an example of a security and/or automationsystem in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a device relating to a security and/oran automation system, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a device relating to a security and/oran automation system, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram relating to a security and/or an automationsystem, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a data flow relating to a securityand/or an automation system, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method relating to asecurity and/or an automation system, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method relating to asecurity and/or an automation system, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure; and

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method relating to asecurity and/or an automation system, in accordance with various aspectsof this disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following relates generally to automation and/or security systems.Automation systems may include one or more sensors located at anentrance to a premises. For example, sensors located at the entrance mayinclude a camera sensor, a motion sensor, a proximity sensor, and/or anaudio sensor, among others.

A motion sensor at the entrance may be configured to detect motion andgenerate an alert. In some cases, the motion sensor may generatenotifications based on false alarms. For example, the motion sensor maydetect a person or an animal walking or moving past the premises, avehicle passing by the premises, a tree blowing in the wind, etc., and anotification may be generated based on this detected motion producing animproper alarm. Improper alarms are detrimental because it reduces thesystem's accuracy and they also may deter customers from incorporating,enabling, and/or electing to have such features in their security and/orautomation system.

An image sensor at the entrance may be configured to capture one or moreimages of a person at the entrance. For example, an occupant of thepremises may approach the entrance and enter the premises, a visitor mayapproach the entrance and knock on a door at the entrance, and/or adelivery person may approach the entrance to deliver a package. A camerasensor positioned to capture an area associated with the entrance to thepremises may be configured to capture images (e.g., video and/or photos)of such a person at the entrance. The camera sensor, however, may notaccurately focus on the person at the entrance, may not be able todetermine certain characteristics (speed, distance, direction, etc.),may capture only part of a person or an object due to inaccuracy, or mayotherwise produce poor quality images. Accordingly, the camera sensormay fail to detect an aspect of the person or the object at theentrance, including failing to detect the face of the person.

Aspects of the invention relate to systems, methods, and related devicesfor improving image-based, motion-based, and/or other monitoring viasonic detection and analysis. Detecting motion at an entrance of apremises may be improved by determining whether sonic information isdetected separate from and/or in association with the detected motionand/or the related characteristics of the sonic information. Upondetecting a sound and/or a sonic signal, the systems and/or the methodsmay determine one or more aspects of the received sounds and/or sonicsignal.

For example, the systems and methods may implement a passive and/oractive sound sensor to determine a distance to the sound, a location ofthe sound, a type of sound, a direction associated with a source of thesound, a speed of a source of the sounds, a size of the source of thesounds, etc. In some cases, a direction associated with a source of thesonic signal may be determined. For example, upon determining that anobject such as a person made the sound, the system may sense thelocation of the person and track the person moving using a sonic signal.Accordingly, in some embodiments, motion detection false alarms may beeliminated and/or reduced by analyzing motion detection together withsound and/or sonic detection.

For example, a motion sensor may detect a tree moving in the motionsensor's field of view. The system may determine whether sound and/ormovement of an object (via sonic sensing) is associated with the motion.Upon determining there is no sound associated with the detected motionor that certain results and/or characteristics have been associated withdetected sounds data, the system may omit or perform generating anotification. In some cases, the system may determine whether the soundoccurs within a predetermined distance of the sensor detecting thesound. Upon determining the sound satisfies this distance threshold, thesystem may perform one or more functions. For instance, upon determiningthe detected sound occurs within, for example, 10 feet or less of anysensor—including but not limited to the sound sensor—at least oneelement of the system such as the motion sensor may be set to trigger analert upon detecting certain characteristics, events, data, and/or otherinformation, such as motion. In another example, upon detecting motionthe system may determine whether a sound is associated with the motion,including but not limited to comparing multiple sets of data and/ormultiple types of data, correlating one or more data points and/orcharacteristics, comparing past historical data specific to thispremises and/or others, and/or comparing learned sequences andsituations. Upon determining a sound is associated with the motion, thesystem may determine whether the sound satisfies the distance threshold.Thus, as one example, if the sound is determined to be within thepredetermined distance, a notification may be generated and/or sent.Otherwise, generating a notification may be omitted unless or until anassociated sound is determined to satisfy the distance threshold and/oranother characteristic.

In some embodiments, a camera sensor and/or motion sensor may beactivated upon determining a presence and/or a movement of an object,such as a person. This determination may include whether the object iswithin the predetermined distance. In one embodiment, upon determining adetected object satisfies the distance threshold or moves within adesignated area, an active sound sensor may be triggered to activelylocate a source associated with the detected sound.

The active sound sensor may be configured to send out a sound ping(e.g., ultrasonic sound wave) and listen for an echo response todetermine a distance, location, speed, gait, and/or size of a sourceassociated with the detected sound. In some cases, the active soundsensor and/or another element of the system may be configured to track alocation, a distance of, a movement direction, a facial recognition, asize, and/or other information associated with an object (like a personand/or a package). This sonic sensing may help verify the accuracy ofcertain information, including information captured by other sensors(such as an image sensor).

In alternative embodiments, the active sound sensor may send out a soundping and listen for an echo response before a motion sensor and/or otherelement of the system is activated. Thus, the sound sensor may providethe first detection, the second detection, and/or another detectionmethod and related sound-sensing actions may performed before, during,and/or after other system related functions.

In some embodiments, upon detecting a sound, the systems and methods mayinclude identifying a type of sound associated with the detected sound.Examples of identifiable types of sound may include a footstep, a voice,a horn of a vehicle, an engine of a vehicle, knocking on a door, ringinga doorbell, opening a gate door, rustling of clothing, an animal noise,and rattling of keys. Identifiable types of sounds may be identifiedbased on a comparison to recorded sounds of the same type, based onfrequency analysis, a correlation algorithm, etc. In some cases, anotification may be generated upon determining the detected soundincludes at least one of a siren, breaking glass, a vehicle crash, agunshot, and/or a sound associated with high winds.

In one embodiment, capturing images of a person and/or object located atthe entrance to the premises may be improved by determining a locationof the person and/or object via sound detection and analysis. Forexample, the systems and methods may include initiating an adjustment ofan aspect of a focus window of a camera sensor based on the estimatedlocation. A location of the detected sound may be determined in relationto a viewing area of a camera sensor. Thus, with a field of view dividedinto quadrants, as one example, a detected sound may be determined to belocated relative to the upper left quadrant of the camera sensor's fieldof view, for example. In some cases, the systems and methods may includecapturing an image of an area at the entrance of the premises using theadjusted aspect of the focus window. In some cases, the camera sensormay adjust an aspect of its view (e.g., aperture, field of view, depthof view, lens position, etc.) based on a determined location of thedetected sound. In some cases, another element of the system such as acentral control panel processing system may initiate an adjustment ofthe image sensor.

In some cases, a size of a source associated with the detected sound mayenhance an aspect of the camera sensor's field of view and/or focussettings. For example, upon determining the detected sound satisfies thedistance threshold, the camera sensor may be triggered to adjust itsfocus in relation to the estimated location of the detected sound. Insome cases, an aspect of the camera sensor's field of view may beadjusted based at least in part on one or more of the estimated distanceto the sound, an estimated location of a source of the sound, theidentified type of the detected sound, and/or an estimated size of thesource of the sound. For example, upon detecting a sound to be withinthe predetermined distance of the entrance of the premises anddetermining the sound is made by a certain object (e.g., a person, ananimal, a car, etc.), the camera sensor may be triggered to adjust itsfield of view and/or focus to capture an image that is based ondetecting one or more features, such as the face of the person at theentrance with the detection of the face being enhanced by the sounddetection analysis. Accordingly, the detection of motion and/orcapturing of images may be augmented by sound detection analysis.

The following description provides examples and is not limiting of thescope, applicability, and/or examples set forth in the claims. Changesmay be made in the function and/or arrangement of elements discussedwithout departing from the scope of the disclosure. Various examples mayomit, substitute, and/or add various procedures and/or components asappropriate. For instance, the methods described may be performed in anorder different from that described, and/or various steps may be added,omitted, and/or combined. Also, features described with respect to someexamples may be combined in other examples.

FIG. 1 is an example of a communications system 100 in accordance withvarious aspects of the disclosure. In some embodiments, thecommunications system 100 may include one or more sensor units 110,local computing device 115, 120, network 125, server 155, control panel135, and remote computing device 140. One or more sensor units 110 maycommunicate via wired or wireless communication links 145 with one ormore of the local computing device 115, 120 or network 125. The network125 may communicate via wired or wireless communication links 145 withthe control panel 135 and the remote computing device 140 via server155. In alternate embodiments, the network 125 may be integrated withany one of the local computing device 115, 120, server 155, and/orremote computing device 140, such that separate components are notrequired.

Local computing device 115, 120 and remote computing device 140 may becustom computing entities configured to interact with sensor units 110via network 125, and in some embodiments, via server 155. In otherembodiments, local computing device 115, 120 and remote computing device140 may be general purpose computing entities such as a personalcomputing device, for example, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, anetbook, a tablet personal computer (PC), a control panel, an indicatorpanel, a multi-site dashboard, an IPOD®, an IPAD®, a smart phone, amobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and/or any othersuitable device operable to send and receive signals, store and retrievedata, and/or execute modules.

Control panel 135 may be a smart home system panel, for example, aninteractive panel mounted on a wall in a user's home. Control panel 135may be in direct communication via wired or wireless communication links145 with the one or more sensor units 110, or may receive sensor datafrom the one or more sensor units 110 via local computing devices 115,120 and network 125, or may receive data via remote computing device140, server 155, and network 125.

The local computing devices 115, 120 may include memory, a processor, anoutput, a data input and a communication module. The processor may be ageneral purpose processor, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), anApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Digital SignalProcessor (DSP), and/or the like. The processor may be configured toretrieve data from and/or write data to the memory. The memory may be,for example, a random access memory (RAM), a memory buffer, a harddrive, a database, an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), anelectrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), a readonly memory (ROM), a flash memory, a hard disk, a floppy disk, cloudstorage, and/or so forth. In some embodiments, the local computingdevices 115, 120 may include one or more hardware-based modules (e.g.,DSP, FPGA, ASIC) and/or software-based modules (e.g., a module ofcomputer code stored at the memory and executed at the processor, a setof processor-readable instructions that may be stored at the memory andexecuted at the processor) associated with executing an application,such as, for example, receiving and displaying data from sensor units110.

The processor of the local computing devices 115, 120 may be operable tocontrol operation of the output of the local computing devices 115, 120.The output may be a television, a liquid crystal display (LCD) monitor,a cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor, speaker, tactile output device, and/orthe like. In some embodiments, the output may be an integral componentof the local computing devices 115, 120. Similarly stated, the outputmay be directly coupled to the processor. For example, the output may bethe integral display of a tablet and/or smart phone. In someembodiments, an output module may include, for example, a HighDefinition Multimedia Interface™ (HDMI) connector, a Video GraphicsArray (VGA) connector, a Universal Serial Bus™ (USB) connector, a tip,ring, sleeve (TRS) connector, and/or any other suitable connectoroperable to couple the local computing devices 115, 120 to the output.

The remote computing device 140 may be a computing entity operable toenable a remote user to monitor the output of the sensor units 110. Theremote computing device 140 may be functionally and/or structurallysimilar to the local computing devices 115, 120 and may be operable toreceive data streams from and/or send signals to at least one of thesensor units 110 via the network 125. The network 125 may be theInternet, an intranet, a personal area network, a local area network(LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a virtual network, atelecommunications network implemented as a wired network and/orwireless network, etc. The remote computing device 140 may receiveand/or send signals over the network 125 via wireless communicationlinks 145 and server 155.

In some embodiments, the one or more sensor units 110 may be sensorsconfigured to conduct periodic or ongoing automatic measurements relatedto audio and/or image data signals. Each sensor unit 110 may be capableof sensing multiple audio and/or image parameters, or alternatively,separate sensor units 110 may monitor separate audio and imageparameters. For example, one sensor unit 110 may monitor audio (e.g.,ultrasonic/supersonic, subsonic audio, active audio, passive audio,etc.), while another sensor unit 110 (or, in some embodiments, the samesensor unit 110) may detect images (e.g., photo, video, motiondetection, infrared, etc.). In some embodiments, one or more sensorunits 110 may additionally monitor alternate audio and/or imageparameters, such as ultrasonic audio signals, passive audio signals,active audio signals, visual spectrum images, infrared images, etc.

Data gathered by the one or more sensor units 110 may be communicated tolocal computing device 115, 120, which may be, in some embodiments, athermostat or other wall-mounted input/output smart home display. Inother embodiments, local computing device 115, 120 may be a personalcomputer and/or smart phone. Where local computing device 115, 120 is asmart phone, the smart phone may have a dedicated application directedto collecting audio and/or video data and calculating object detectiontherefrom. The local computing device 115, 120 may process the datareceived from the one or more sensor units 110 to obtain a probabilityof an object within an area of a premises such as an object within apredetermined distance of an entrance to the premises as one example. Inalternate embodiments, remote computing device 140 may process the datareceived from the one or more sensor units 110, via network 125 andserver 155, to obtain a probability of detecting an object within thevicinity of an area of a premises, such as detecting a person at anentrance to the premises for example. Data transmission may occur via,for example, frequencies appropriate for a personal area network (suchas BLUETOOTH® or IR communications) or local or wide area networkfrequencies such as radio frequencies specified by the IEEE 802.15.4standard, among others.

In some embodiments, local computing device 115, 120 may communicatewith remote computing device 140 or control panel 135 via network 125and server 155. Examples of networks 125 include cloud networks, localarea networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), virtual private networks(VPN), wireless networks (using 802.11, for example), and/or cellularnetworks (using 3G and/or LTE, for example), etc. In someconfigurations, the network 125 may include the Internet. In someembodiments, a user may access the functions of local computing device115, 120 from remote computing device 140. For example, in someembodiments, remote computing device 140 may include a mobileapplication that interfaces with one or more functions of localcomputing device 115, 120.

The server 155 may be configured to communicate with the sensor units110, the local computing devices 115, 120, the remote computing device140 and control panel 135. The server 155 may perform additionalprocessing on signals received from the sensor units 110 or localcomputing devices 115, 120, or may simply forward the receivedinformation to the remote computing device 140 and control panel 135.

Server 155 may be a computing device operable to receive data streams(e.g., from sensor units 110 and/or local computing device 115, 120 orremote computing device 140), store and/or process data, and/or transmitdata and/or data summaries (e.g., to remote computing device 140). Forexample, server 155 may receive a stream of passive audio data from asensor unit 110, a stream of active audio data from the same or adifferent sensor unit 110, a stream of image (e.g., photo and/or video)data from either the same or yet another sensor unit 110, and a streamof motion data from either the same or yet another sensor unit 110.

In some embodiments, server 155 may “pull” the data streams, e.g., byquerying the sensor units 110, the local computing devices 115, 120,and/or the control panel 135. In some embodiments, the data streams maybe “pushed” from the sensor units 110 and/or the local computing devices115, 120 to the server 155. For example, the sensor units 110 and/or thelocal computing device 115, 120 may be configured to transmit data as itis generated by or entered into that device. In some instances, thesensor units 110 and/or the local computing devices 115, 120 mayperiodically transmit data (e.g., as a block of data or as one or moredata points).

The server 155 may include a database (e.g., in memory and/or through awired and/or a wireless connection) containing audio and/or video datareceived from the sensor units 110 and/or the local computing devices115, 120. Additionally, as described in further detail herein, software(e.g., stored in memory) may be executed on a processor of the server155. Such software (executed on the processor) may be operable to causethe server 155 to monitor, process, summarize, present, and/or send asignal associated with resource usage data.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram 200 of an apparatus 205 for use inelectronic communication, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure. The apparatus 205 may be an example of one or more aspectsof a control panel 135 described with reference to FIG. 1. The apparatus205 may include a receiver module 210, a sonic sensing module 215,and/or a transmitter module 220. The apparatus 205 may also be orinclude a processor. Each of these modules may be in communication witheach other and/or other modules—directly and/or indirectly.

The components of the apparatus 205 may, individually or collectively,be implemented using one or more application-specific integratedcircuits (ASICs) adapted to perform some or all of the applicablefunctions in hardware. Alternatively, the functions may be performed byone or more other processing units (or cores), on one or more integratedcircuits. In other examples, other types of integrated circuits may beused (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, Field Programmable Gate Arrays(FPGAs), and other Semi-Custom ICs), which may be programmed in anymanner known in the art. The functions of each module may also beimplemented—in whole or in part—with instructions embodied in memoryformatted to be executed by one or more general and/orapplication-specific processors.

The receiver module 210 may receive information such as packets, userdata, and/or control information associated with various informationchannels (e.g., control channels, data channels, etc.). The receivermodule 210 may be configured to receive audio signals and/or data (e.g.,ultrasonic/supersonic, subsonic, passive and/or active audio signals)and/or image signals and/or data (e.g., photo images, video images,infrared images, videos, etc.). Information may be passed on to thesonic sensing module 215, and to other components of the apparatus 205.

The sonic sensing module 215 may be configured to analyze audio signalsdetected by an audio sensor. The audio signals may include ultrasonicaudio, passively-detected audio, and/or actively-detected audio, amongothers. The sonic sensing module 215 may enhance object detection viaanalyzing image data detected by an image sensor based on the analysisof the detected audio signals. Accordingly, sonic sensing module 215 mayanalyze audio and image data streams in order to enhance the detectionof objects relative to an area of a premises. For example, sonic sensingmodule 215 may enhance the capabilities of an image sensor to visuallydetect an object, focus on the object, determine a distance to, a speedof, and/or a location of the object, and/or determine a size of theobject relative to a field of view of the image sensor, among otherfunctions. Thus, based on analyzed audio signals and/or data, and/orimage signals and/or data, sonic sensing module 215 may enable an imagesensor to focus more quickly on a detected object, perform facialrecognition more quickly, perform object tracking with less lag, etc.

The transmitter module 220 may transmit the one or more signals receivedfrom other components of the apparatus 205. The transmitter module 220may transmit audio signals (e.g., ultrasonic/supersonic, passive and/oractive audio signals) and/or image signals (e.g., photo images, videoimages, infrared images, etc.). In some cases, transmitter module 220may transmit results of data analysis on audio and/or image signals(and/or data) analyzed by sonic sensing module 215. In some examples,the transmitter module 220 may be collocated with the receiver module210 in a transceiver module. In other examples, these elements may notbe collocated.

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram 300 of an apparatus 205-a for use inwireless communication, in accordance with various examples. Theapparatus 205-a may be an example of one or more aspects of a controlpanel 135 described with reference to FIG. 1. It may also be an exampleof an apparatus 205 described with reference to FIG. 2. The apparatus205-a may include a receiver module 210-a, a sonic sensing module 215-a,and/or a transmitter module 220-a, which may be examples of thecorresponding modules of apparatus 205. The apparatus 205-a may alsoinclude a processor. Each of these components may be in communicationwith each other. The sonic sensing module 215-a may include sensingmodule 305, analysis module 310, notification module 315, and/ormodification module 320. The receiver module 210-a and the transmittermodule 220-a may perform the functions of the receiver module 210 andthe transmitter module 220, of FIG. 2, respectively.

In one embodiment, sensing module 305 may receive, via an image sensor,image data associated with an area of a premises such as a home, office,school, etc. For example, the image sensor may be configured to capturea view of an entrance to a premises. Similarly, sensing module 305 mayreceive sound data associated with an object via an audio sensor. Likethe image sensor, the audio sensor (e.g., microphone, sonar device) maybe configured to capture sound occurring within a given distance of oneor more entrances and/or access points of the premises. In some cases,the audio sensor may detect various types of sound, including ultrasonicsound. The audio sensor may include an active audio sensor and/or apassive audio sensor. For example, in some embodiments, the audio sensormay listen for sounds detectable at the entrance of the premises.

Additionally, or alternatively, the audio sensor may generate a ping andemit the ping from the audio sensor and listen for an echo to the ping.In some embodiments, the sensing module 305 may detect motion and, upondetecting motion, trigger the audio sensor to monitor for sound.Additionally, or alternatively, sensing module 305 may detect a soundand trigger the image sensor to detect motion and/or objects. In somecases, sensing module 305 may detect a sound and estimate a distance tothe sound in conjunction with analysis module 310, and upon determiningthe distance to the sound is within a predetermined distance, triggerthe image sensor to detect motion and/or objects. In some embodiments,the system and/or method may incorporate one sensor that can detect,receive, process, and/or send multiple types of signals and/or data(audio, image, light, movement, etc.).

In one embodiment, analysis module 310 may analyze the image datadetected by the image sensor in relation to the sound data detected bythe audio sensor. The analysis module 310 may detect an object'spresence based at least in part on this analysis. For example, theanalysis module 310 may analyze the image data to determine whether anobject moves and/or appears within the view of the image sensor. As anexample, the image sensor may detect a tree moving in the distanceand/or may detect a person approaching the entrance to the premises. Theanalysis module 310 may analyze the sound data to determine whether anobject detected in the image data is likely human, whether the detectedobject is likely within a predetermined distance from the entrance,whether to generate a notification regarding the object, etc. Forexample, the audio sensor may detect a human voice, a non-human madesound, a sound determined to be made within 10 feet of the entrance,etc.

In some embodiments, modification module 320 may adjust at least onecharacteristic of an automation component based at least in part ondetermining whether the distance satisfies the distance threshold. Insome embodiments, modification module 320 may initiate an adjustment ofat least one characteristic of an automation component based at least inpart on determining whether the distance satisfies the distancethreshold. The automation component may include at least one of a motionsensor, the image sensor, a lock, a light, and/or an audio sensor.

In some embodiments, upon determining the estimated distance satisfiesthe distance threshold, the sensing module 305 may trigger an activesonic sensor to detect a source of the detected sound by sending out aping and listening for an echo to the ping. In some embodiments, upondetermining the estimated distance satisfies the distance threshold(e.g., distance is less than 10 feet from entrance, etc.), modificationmodule 320 may trigger an automation component to monitor the area ofthe premises (e.g., activate motion detection, camera motion detection,etc.). In some embodiments, upon determining the estimated distancesatisfies the distance threshold, notification module 315 may betriggered, by the analysis module 310, to generate one or morenotifications.

In one embodiment, analysis module 310 may identify at least onecharacteristic relating to the object based at least in part on thedetecting. For example, analysis module 310 may identify a type ofdetected sound. Identifiable types of sound may include a footstep, avoice, a horn of a vehicle, an engine of a vehicle (e.g., an engineidling nearby, an engine driving by, etc.), a knocking on a door, aringing of a doorbell, an opening of a door, an opening of a gate, arustling of clothing (e.g., corduroy, etc.), an animal-originated sound,a yell, a scream, a gunshot, breaking of glass such as a window, arattling of keys, and/or the like. Upon identifying the type of thesound as being made by a human, analysis module 310 may analyze imagedata to recognize a face, body, appendage, carried package, clothing,physical characteristics (height, body type, weight, etc.).

In one embodiment, analysis module 310 may estimate a distance from theaudio sensor to a detected sound associated with the object. In somecases, estimating the distance from the audio sensor to the detectedsound may be based at least in part on identifying the type of thedetected sound. In some embodiments, analysis module 310 may determinewhether the distance satisfies a distance threshold, a speed threshold,a size threshold, and/or another threshold. For example, analysis module310 may determine that an object is within 20 feet of the audio and/orimage sensors. The image sensor may use this information to enhanceand/or modify the operations of the image sensor. Sensing module 305 maycapture image data of the area after the adjusting at least onecharacteristic of the image sensor. For example, based on thedetermination that the object is within 20 feet of the image sensor, theimage sensor may adjust one or more settings such as an adjustment offocus, aperture, field of view, hue, etc. For example, based on thedetermination the object is approaching at 6 miles per hour (or anothervalue such as feet per second), the image sensor may adjust one or moresettings such as an adjustment of focus, aperture, field of view, hue,etc.

In one embodiment, modification module 320 may adjust at least onecharacteristic of the image sensor based at least in part on thedetermined and/or the estimated distance. For example, modificationmodule 320 may adjust an aspect of focus of the image sensor based onthe estimated distance to the object. Sensing module 305 may thencapture an image of the area of the premises using the adjusted aspectof the focus.

In one embodiment, analysis module 310 may estimate a location of anobject that made the detected sound. For example, a location of theobject may be estimated in relation to the field of view of the imagesensor such as in the upper left quadrant of the image sensor's field ofview, etc. In some cases, the location of the object may be estimated inrelation to an area of the premises such as at the porch of the entranceof a premises, at a sidewalk some distance from the entrance, at adriveway and/or parking lot some distance from the entrance, etc.Additionally, or alternatively, a location of the object may beestimated in relation to the location of the audio sensor such as within5 feet from the audio sensor, at an angle of 30 degrees, 45 degrees,and/or some other direction (relative to one or more sensor's relativeposition and/or based on compass direction) and to the left of thedirection the audio sensor is pointed, etc. Analysis module 310 maydetermine at least one movement characteristic of the object based atleast in part on at least one of the image data and the sound data.

In some cases, analysis module 310 may track a source of the detectedsound based at least in part on a subsequent detected sound. Forexample, sensing module 305 may include stereo sonic sensors to enableanalysis module 310 to track a location of the source of a detectedsound and/or to determine a direction in which the source of thedetected sound is headed. Additionally, or alternatively, the sensingmodule 305 may include one or more image tracking sensors, motiontracking sensors, infrared tracking sensors and/or one or more audiopassive direction detection sensors, active sonic tracking sensors, andthe like to enable analysis module 310 to estimate a location of anobject and/or track the detected object.

In some cases, modification module 320 may adjust one or more settingsof an image sensor based on the estimated location of the object. Forexample, modification module 320 may adjust an aspect of a focus windowof the image sensor based on the estimated location of the object.

In one embodiment, notification module 315 may generate a notificationbased at least in part on determining the type of the detected sound. Insome cases, the notification module 315 may work in conjunction with avirtual neighborhood watch where a sensor at a first location triggers anotification at the first location (a first premises) as well as anotification at a second location (second premises). Thus, upondetermining a sound indicates a siren or an emergency response vehicle,breaking glass, a crash (automobile), a gunshot, a moderate wind, a highwind warning (e.g., sound of high wind, sound of debris smackingsomething, etc.), a scream, and/or another sound, notification module315 may generate a notification.

An indication of moderate wind may improve the system to reduce falsepositives. For example, a tree in the distance and in the view of theimage sensor may trigger movement detection in a moderate wind. Thesensing module 305 detecting the moderate wind (e.g., rustling ofleaves, etc.) with the tree moving in the distance and an absence ofsound within a predetermined distance of the sound and/or image sensorsmay trigger the system to omit generating a notification regarding thedetected object movement based at least in part due to the moderatewind, thus reducing false positive notifications.

In one embodiment, analysis module 310 may estimate a size of a sourceof the detected sound relative to a field of view of the image sensorbased at least in part on at least one of the distance and/or the typeof the detected sound, among other things. Data indicating the estimatedsize of the source of the detected sound may enhance the image sensor'sability to visually identify objects, focus on objects, track objects,etc. For example, the audio data indicating human speech indicates thesource of the sound is human sized. In some embodiments, the audio databased on one characteristic or another may identify specificcharacteristics of the person, such as gender, age, etc. The audio dataindicating a package being left at the entrance of the premises withinview of the camera indicates the source of the sound is package sized,etc.

FIG. 4 shows a system 400 for use in sonic sensing systems, inaccordance with various examples. System 400 may include an apparatus205-b, which may be an example of the control panel 135 of FIG. 1.Apparatus 205-b may also be an example of one or more aspects ofapparatus 205 and/or 205-a of FIGS. 2 and 3.

Apparatus 205-b may include components for bi-directional voice and datacommunications including components for transmitting communications andcomponents for receiving communications. For example, apparatus 205-bmay communicate bi-directionally with one or more of device 115-a, oneor more sensors 110-a, remote storage 140, and/or remote server 145-a,which may be an example of the remote server of FIG. 1. Thisbi-directional communication may be direct (e.g., apparatus 205-bcommunicating directly with remote storage 140) and/or indirect (e.g.,apparatus 205-b communicating indirectly with remote server 145-athrough remote storage 140).

Apparatus 205-b may also include a processor module 405, and memory 410(including software/firmware code (SW) 415), an input/output controllermodule 420, a user interface module 425, a transceiver module 430, andone or more antennas 435 each of which may communicate—directly orindirectly—with one another (e.g., via one or more buses 440). Thetransceiver module 430 may communicate bi-directionally—via the one ormore antennas 435, wired links, and/or wireless links—with one or morenetworks or remote devices as described above. For example, thetransceiver module 430 may communicate bi-directionally with one or moreof device 115-a, remote storage 140, and/or remote server 145-a. Thetransceiver module 430 may include a modem to modulate the packets andprovide the modulated packets to the one or more antennas 435 fortransmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or moreantenna 435. While a control panel or a control device (e.g., 205-b) mayinclude a single antenna 435, the control panel or the control devicemay also have multiple antennas 435 capable of concurrently transmittingor receiving multiple wired and/or wireless transmissions. In someembodiments, one element of apparatus 205-b (e.g., one or more antennas435, transceiver module 430, etc.) may provide a direct connection to aremote server 145-a via a direct network link to the Internet via a POP(point of presence). In some embodiments, one element of apparatus 205-b(e.g., one or more antennas 435, transceiver module 430, etc.) mayprovide a connection using wireless techniques, including digitalcellular telephone connection, Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD)connection, digital satellite data connection, and/or anotherconnection.

The signals associated with system 400 may include wirelesscommunication signals such as radio frequency, electromagnetics, localarea network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), virtual private network(VPN), wireless network (using 802.11, for example), 345 MHz, Z-WAVE®,cellular network (using 3G and/or LTE, for example), and/or othersignals. The one or more antennas 435 and/or transceiver module 430 mayinclude or be related to, but are not limited to, WWAN (GSM, CDMA, andWCDMA), WLAN (including BLUETOOTH® and Wi-Fi), WMAN (WiMAX), antennasfor mobile communications, antennas for Wireless Personal Area Network(WPAN) applications (including RFID and UWB). In some embodiments, eachantenna 435 may receive signals or information specific and/or exclusiveto itself. In other embodiments, each antenna 435 may receive signals orinformation not specific or exclusive to itself.

In some embodiments, one or more sensors 110-a (e.g., motion, proximity,smoke, light, glass break, door, audio, image, window, carbon monoxide,and/or another sensor) may connect to some element of system 400 via anetwork using one or more wired and/or wireless connections.

In some embodiments, the user interface module 425 may include an audiodevice, such as an external speaker system, an external display devicesuch as a display screen, and/or an input device (e.g., remote controldevice interfaced with the user interface module 425 directly and/orthrough I/O controller module 420).

One or more buses 440 may allow data communication between one or moreelements of apparatus 205-b (e.g., processor module 405, memory 410, I/Ocontroller module 420, user interface module 425, etc.).

The memory 410 may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory(ROM), flash RAM, and/or other types. The memory 410 may storecomputer-readable, computer-executable software/firmware code 415including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor module405 to perform various functions described in this disclosure (e.g.,monitor for audio and image data at an entrance to a premises andanalyze the image data in relation to the audio data to enhance theoperation of an image sensor and/or to determine whether to generate anotification, etc.). Alternatively, the software/firmware code 415 maynot be directly executable by the processor module 405 but may cause acomputer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functionsdescribed herein. Alternatively, the computer-readable,computer-executable software/firmware code 415 may not be directlyexecutable by the processor module 405 but may be configured to cause acomputer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functionsdescribed herein. The processor module 405 may include an intelligenthardware device, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), amicrocontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.

In some embodiments, the memory 410 can contain, among other things, theBasic Input-Output system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware and/orsoftware operation such as the interaction with peripheral components ordevices. For example, the sonic sensing module 215 to implement thepresent systems and methods may be stored within the system memory 410.Applications resident with system 400 are generally stored on andaccessed via a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as a harddisk drive or other storage medium. Additionally, applications can be inthe form of electronic signals modulated in accordance with theapplication and data communication technology when accessed via anetwork interface (e.g., transceiver module 430, one or more antennas435, etc.).

Many other devices and/or subsystems may be connected to one or may beincluded as one or more elements of system 400 (e.g., entertainmentsystem, computing device, remote cameras, wireless key fob, wall mounteduser interface device, cell radio module, battery, alarm siren, doorlock, lighting system, thermostat, home appliance monitor, utilityequipment monitor, and so on). In some embodiments, all of the elementsshown in FIG. 4 need not be present to practice the present systems andmethods. The devices and subsystems can be interconnected in differentways from that shown in FIG. 4. In some embodiments, an aspect of someoperation of a system, such as that shown in FIG. 4, may be readilyknown in the art and are not discussed in detail in this application.Code to implement the present disclosure can be stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium such as one or more of systemmemory 410 or other memory. The operating system provided on I/Ocontroller module 420 may be iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®,OS/2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system.

The transceiver module 430 may include a modem configured to modulatethe packets and provide the modulated packets to the antennas 435 fortransmission and/or to demodulate packets received from the antennas435. While the control panel or control device (e.g., 205-b) may includea single antenna 435, the control panel or control device (e.g., 205-b)may have multiple antennas 435 capable of concurrently transmittingand/or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The apparatus 205-bmay include a sonic sensing module 215-b, which may perform thefunctions described above for the sonic sensing modules 215 of apparatus205 of FIGS. 2 and 3.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a data flow 500 relating to a securityand/or an automation system, in accordance with various aspects of thisdisclosure. The data flow 500 illustrates the flow of data between anaudio sensor 110-b, an image sensor 110-c, and an apparatus 205-c. Theaudio and/or image sensors 110 may be examples of one or more aspects ofsensor 110 from FIGS. 1 and/or 4. Apparatus 205-c may be an example ofone or more aspects of control panel 135 of FIG. 1, and/or apparatus 205of FIGS. 2-4. In some cases, apparatus 205-c may include a computingdevice such as a smart phone, desktop, laptop, remote server (e.g.,server 155 of FIG. 1). In some cases, apparatus 205-c may include astorage device and/or database.

At block 505, image sensor 110-c may detect an object. Image sensor110-c may send image data 510 based on the object detected at block 505.The image data 510 may include infrared image data, visual spectrumimage data (e.g., photos and/or videos), thermal image data, motionsense data, and/or the like. The apparatus 205-c may analyze the imagedata 510 for object detection, object identification, facialrecognition, etc. Image data 510 may include an image just prior todetection, one or more images upon detection and/or one or more imagesafter detection. The detection may be based on infrared detection,passive motion sensing, active motion sensing, image comparison, etc. Asillustrated, apparatus 205-c may send a request 515 to the audio sensor110-b.

The request 515 may include a request for audio data generated by audiosensor 110-b. In response to the request 515, audio sensor 110-b maysend audio data 520 to apparatus 205-c. The audio data 520 may includeaudio data before, at the time, and/or after the time image sensor 110-cdetects an object at block 505. The audio sensor 110-b may generateaudio data based on passive audio detection and/or active audiodetection. Audio sensor 110-b may be configured to generate and/ordetect in the infrasound, acoustic, and/or ultrasound ranges.Accordingly, the audio data 520 may include audio data from passivedetection, active detection, and/or audio data in the infrasound,acoustic, and/or ultrasound ranges.

Although data flow 500 illustrates apparatus 205-c receiving audio data520 in response to sending request 515, in some embodiments, audiosensor 110-b may send an audio data stream to apparatus 205-c regardlessof a request for audio data. For example, audio sensor 11-b may sendaudio data to apparatus 205-c on a recurring basis such as at apredetermined rate (e.g., a sample of audio data sent every second,every five seconds, etc.). In some cases, audio sensor 110-b may sendaudio data to apparatus 205-c upon determining image sensor 110-cdetects an object. In some cases, image sensor 110-c may send anotification to audio sensor 110-b indicating an object is detected. Insome cases, audio sensor 110-b may monitor image sensor 110-c todetermine an object is detected.

Apparatus 205-c may analyze the image data 510 in conjunction with theaudio data 520. For example, apparatus 205-c may determine, based onaudio data 520, whether the detected object is within a certain distanceof audio and/or image sensors 110, a location of the detected object, asize of the detected object relative to its determined distance, a sizeof the detected object relative to a field of view of image sensor110-c, etc.

Based on the analysis of block 525, apparatus 205-c may send an imagesensor command 530 to image sensor 110-c. The command 530 may includeinstructions for image sensor 110-c and/or some other element of thesystem to perform one or more functions. For example, the command mayinstruct image sensor 110-c to adjust a focus, to adjust a field ofview, to adjust an aperture, to adjust a resolution, etc. In some cases,command 530 may include result data based on the analysis of the imagedata 510 and/or audio data 520.

The result data may provide information to enable the image sensor 110-cto identify the detected object, to focus on the detected object, todetermine a distance to the object, to track the object, to determine asize of the object relative to its determined distance and/or relativeto a field of view of the image sensor 110-c, to determine the object isa person, to perform facial recognition on the person, and the like. Insome cases, apparatus 205-c may notify image sensor 110-c that, based onthe analysis of the image data 510 and/or audio data 520, the objectdetection is a false alarm. Thus, command 530 may instruct image sensor110-c to disregard the detected object. In some cases, apparatus 205-cmay generate a notification indicating that an object was detected viathe image sensor 110-c. For example, the analysis of the image data 510and/or audio data 520 may indicate that a person is at a front door of apremises, that a vehicle is in a drive way of the premises, that apackage has been delivered to the premises, etc.

In some embodiments, the one or more steps and/or actions described andshown in FIG. 5 may be performed in various orders and/or by variouselements. For example, the system may use audio sensor 110-b toinitially detect an object and then request additional data from theimage sensor 110-c (as opposed to initial detection by the image sensor110-c and requesting additional data from audio sensor 110-b).

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 600 for sonicsensing, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.For clarity, the method 600 is described below with reference to aspectsof one or more of the sensor units 110 described with reference to FIGS.1, 4, and/or 5. In some examples, a control panel, backend server,mobile computing device, and/or sensor may execute one or more sets ofcodes to control the functional elements of the control panel, backendserver, mobile computing device, and/or sensor to perform one or more ofthe functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, thecontrol panel, backend server, mobile computing device, and/or sensormay perform one or more of the functions described below usingspecial-purpose hardware.

At block 605, image data associated with an area via an image sensor maybe received. For example, a camera at an entrance to a premises maycapture images (e.g., photo and/or video images) of the entrance to thepremises. At block 610, sound data associated with an object may bereceived via an audio sensor. The entrance to the premises may includean audio sensor (e.g., microphone, etc.) to detect sounds relative tothe entrance. At block 615, the image data may be analyzed in relationto the sound data. At block 620, an object's presence may be detectedbased at least in part on the analyzing. At block 625, at least onecharacteristic relating to the object may be identified based at leastin part on the detecting. The operation(s) at block 605-625 may beperformed using the sonic sensing module 215 described with reference toFIGS. 2-4 and/or another module.

Thus, the method 600 may provide for sonic sensing relating toautomation/security systems. It should be noted that the method 600 isjust one implementation and that the operations of the method 600 may berearranged, omitted, and/or otherwise modified such that otherimplementations are possible and contemplated.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 700 for sonicsensing, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.For clarity, the method 700 is described below with reference to aspectsof one or more of the sensor units 110 described with reference to FIGS.1, 4, and/or 5. In some examples, a control panel, backend server,mobile computing device, and/or sensor may execute one or more sets ofcodes to control the functional elements of the control panel, backendserver, mobile computing device, and/or sensor to perform one or more ofthe functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, thecontrol panel, backend server, mobile computing device, and/or sensormay perform one or more of the functions described below usingspecial-purpose hardware.

At block 705, a distance from the audio sensor to a detected soundassociated with the object may be estimated (solely or in conjunctionwith one or more other characteristics such as speed, size, etc.). Insome cases, the audio sensor may detect ultrasonic sound. At block 710,whether the distance satisfies a distance threshold may be determined.At block 715, a type of the detected sound may be identified.Identifiable types of sound may include at least a footstep, a voice, ahorn of a vehicle, an engine of a vehicle, a knocking on a door, aringing of a doorbell, an opening of a door, a rustling of clothing, agunshot, a glass breaking, a rattling of keys, and/or the like. At block720, a notification may be generated based at least in part ondetermining the type of the detected sound. Estimating the distance fromthe audio sensor to the detected sound may be based at least in part onidentifying the type of the detected sound, among other things. At block725, a size of a source of the detected sound relative to a field ofview of the image sensor may be estimated based at least in part on theestimated distance to the detected sound and/or the determined type ofthe detected sound. At block 730, at least one characteristic of anautomation component may be adjusted based at least in part ondetermining whether the distance satisfies the distance threshold. Theautomation component may include at least one of a motion sensor, theimage sensor, a lock, a light, and/or the audio sensor. In some cases,the audio sensor may include an active audio sensor, while in othercases the audio sensor may include a passive audio sensor, and/or someof each. The operations at blocks 705-730 may be performed using thesonic sensing module 215 described with reference to FIGS. 2-4 and/oranother module.

Thus, the method 700 may provide for sonic sensing relating toautomation/security systems. It should be noted that the method 700 isjust one implementation and that the operations of the method 700 may berearranged, omitted, and/or otherwise modified such that otherimplementations are possible and contemplated.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method 800 for sonicsensing, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.For clarity, the method 800 is described below with reference to aspectsof one or more of the sensor units 110 described with reference to FIGS.1, 4, and/or 5. In some examples, a control panel, backend server,mobile computing device, and/or sensor may execute one or more sets ofcodes to control the functional elements of the control panel, backendserver, mobile computing device, and/or sensor to perform one or more ofthe functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, thecontrol panel, backend server, mobile computing device, and/or sensormay perform one or more of the functions described below usingspecial-purpose hardware.

At block 805, a distance from the audio sensor to a detected soundassociated with the object may be estimated. In some cases, the audiosensor may detect ultrasonic sound. At block 810, whether the distancesatisfies a distance threshold may be determined. At block 815, at leastone characteristic of the image sensor may be adjusted based at least inpart on the distance. Characteristics of the image sensor that may beadjusted include focus, field of view, focus window, aperture, imagequality, and the like. At block 820, image data of the area may becaptured after the adjusting at least one characteristic of the imagesensor. At block 825, a location of the detected sound may be estimated.At block 830, a source of the detected sound may be tracked based atleast in part on a subsequent detected sound. The operations at blocks805-830 may be performed using the sonic sensing module 215 describedwith reference to FIGS. 2-4 and/or another module.

Thus, the method 800 may provide for sonic sensing relating toautomation/security systems. It should be noted that the method 800 isjust one implementation and that the operations of the method 800 may berearranged, omitted, and/or otherwise modified such that otherimplementations are possible and contemplated.

In some examples, aspects from two or more of the methods 600, 700, and800 may be combined and/or separated. It should be noted that themethods 600, 700, and 800 are just example implementations, and that theoperations of the methods 600, 700, and 800 may be rearranged orotherwise modified such that other implementations are possible.

The detailed description set forth above in connection with the appendeddrawings describes examples and does not represent the only instancesthat may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. Theterms “example” and “exemplary,” when used in this description, mean“serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and not “preferred”or “advantageous over other examples.” The detailed description includesspecific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of thedescribed techniques. These techniques, however, may be practicedwithout these specific details. In some instances, known structures andapparatuses are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuringthe concepts of the described examples.

Information and signals may be represented using any of a variety ofdifferent technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions,commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may bereferenced throughout the above description may be represented byvoltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles,optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connectionwith this disclosure may be implemented or performed with ageneral-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, anFPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processormay be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may beany conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, and/or statemachine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination ofcomputing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor,multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunctionwith a DSP core, and/or any other such configuration.

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, softwareexecuted by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. Ifimplemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may bestored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are withinthe scope and spirit of the disclosure and appended claims. For example,due to the nature of software, functions described above can beimplemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware,hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementingfunctions may also be physically located at various positions, includingbeing distributed such that portions of functions are implemented atdifferent physical locations.

As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or,” when used ina list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items canbe employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listeditems can be employed. For example, if a composition is described ascontaining components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain Aalone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination;B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. Also, as usedherein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (forexample, a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of”or “one or more of”) indicates a disjunctive list such that, forexample, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C or ABor AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

In addition, any disclosure of components contained within othercomponents or separate from other components should be consideredexemplary because multiple other architectures may potentially beimplemented to achieve the same functionality, including incorporatingall, most, and/or some elements as part of one or more unitarystructures and/or separate structures.

Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media andcommunication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of acomputer program from one place to another. A storage medium may be anyavailable medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or specialpurpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation,computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory,CD-ROM, DVD, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used tocarry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions ordata structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose orspecial-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purposeprocessor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readablemedium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologiessuch as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproducedata optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also includedwithin the scope of computer-readable media.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable aperson skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the scope of thedisclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not to be limited to the examplesand designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scopeconsistent with the principles and novel features disclosed.

This disclosure may specifically apply to security system applications.This disclosure may specifically apply to automation systemapplications. In some embodiments, the concepts, the technicaldescriptions, the features, the methods, the ideas, and/or thedescriptions may specifically apply to security and/or automation systemapplications. Distinct advantages of such systems for these specificapplications are apparent from this disclosure.

The process parameters, actions, and steps described and/or illustratedin this disclosure are given by way of example only and can be varied asdesired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or described maybe shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps do notnecessarily need to be performed in the order illustrated or discussed.The various exemplary methods described and/or illustrated here may alsoomit one or more of the steps described or illustrated here or includeadditional steps in addition to those disclosed.

Furthermore, while various embodiments have been described and/orillustrated here in the context of fully functional computing systems,one or more of these exemplary embodiments may be distributed as aprogram product in a variety of forms, regardless of the particular typeof computer-readable media used to actually carry out the distribution.The embodiments disclosed herein may also be implemented using softwaremodules that perform certain tasks. These software modules may includescript, batch, or other executable files that may be stored on acomputer-readable storage medium or in a computing system. In someembodiments, these software modules may permit and/or instruct acomputing system to perform one or more of the exemplary embodimentsdisclosed here.

This description, for purposes of explanation, has been described withreference to specific embodiments. The illustrative discussions above,however, are not intended to be exhaustive or limit the present systemsand methods to the precise forms discussed. Many modifications andvariations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodimentswere chosen and described in order to explain the principles of thepresent systems and methods and their practical applications, to enableothers skilled in the art to utilize the present systems, apparatus, andmethods and various embodiments with various modifications as may besuited to the particular use contemplated.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for security and/or automation systems,comprising: receiving sound data associated with an object via an audiosensor located at a premises; analyzing the sound data; estimating adistance from the audio sensor to a detected sound based at least inpart on the analysis of the sound data; adjusting a field of view and afocus of an image sensor based at least in part on the estimateddistance; receiving image data associated with an area of the premisesvia the image sensor located at the premises based at least in part onadjusting the field of view and the focus; analyzing the image data inrelation to the analysis of the sound data; detecting a presence of theobject within the area based at least in part on the analysis of theimage data; detecting an indication of wind based at least in part ondetecting the presence of the object; identifying a false positiveassociated with the presence of the object within the area based atleast in part on analyzing the image data and analyzing the sound data;and determining whether to generate a notification based at least inpart on the detected sound, the identified false positive, the presenceof the object within the area, and the indication of wind.
 2. The methodof claim 1, comprising: determining whether the estimated distancesatisfies a distance threshold.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein thedetected sound includes a footstep, a voice, a horn of a vehicle, anengine of a vehicle, a knocking on a door, a ringing of a doorbell, anopening of a door, a rustling of clothing, a gunshot, a glass breaking,a rattling of keys, or a combination thereof.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein estimating the distance from the audio sensor to the detectedsound is based at least in part on identifying a type of detected sound.5. The method of claim 1, comprising: estimating a size of a source ofthe detected sound relative to the field of view of the image sensorbased at least in part on at least one of the estimated distance and atype of detected sound.
 6. The method of claim 2, comprising: initiatingan adjustment of at least one characteristic of an automation componentbased at least in part on determining whether the estimated distancesatisfies the distance threshold, wherein the automation componentincludes at least one of a motion sensor, the image sensor, a lock, alight, and the audio sensor.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the audiosensor comprises an active audio sensor.
 8. The method of claim 1,comprising: capturing image data of the area after adjusting the fieldof view of the image sensor.
 9. The method of claim 2, comprising:estimating a location of the detected sound.
 10. The method of claim 9,comprising: tracking a source of the detected sound based at least inpart on a subsequent detected sound.
 11. An apparatus for an automationsystem, comprising: a processor; memory in electronic communication withthe processor; and instructions stored in the memory, the instructionsbeing executable by the processor to: receive sound data associated withan object via an audio sensor located at a premises; analyze the sounddata; estimate a distance from the audio sensor to a detected soundbased at least in part on the analysis of the sound data; adjust a fieldof view and a focus of an image sensor based at least in part on theestimated distance; receive image data associated with an area of thepremises via the image sensor located at the premises based at least inpart on adjusting the field of view and the focus; analyze the imagedata in relation to the analysis of the sound data; detect a presence ofthe object based at least in part on the analysis of the image data;detect an indication of wind based at least in part on detecting thepresence of the object; identify a false positive associated with thepresence of the object within the area based at least in part onanalyzing the image data and analyzing the sound data; and determinewhether to generate a notification based at least in part on thedetected sound, the identified false positive, the presence of theobject within the area, and the indication of wind.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 11, the instructions being executable by the processor to:determine whether the estimated distance satisfies a distance threshold.13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the detected sound includes afootstep, a voice, a horn of a vehicle, an engine of a vehicle, aknocking on a door, a ringing of a doorbell, an opening of a door, arustling of clothing, a gunshot, a glass breaking, a rattling of keys,or a combination thereof.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11, whereinestimating the distance from the audio sensor to the detected sound isbased at least in part on identifying a type of detected sound.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 12, the instructions being executable by theprocessor to: initiate an adjustment of at least one characteristic ofan automation component based at least in part on determining whetherthe estimated distance satisfies the distance threshold, wherein theautomation component includes at least one of a motion sensor, the imagesensor, a lock, a light, and the audio sensor.
 16. The apparatus ofclaim 12, the instructions being executable by the processor to: captureimage data of the area after adjusting the field of view of the imagesensor.
 17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storingcomputer-executable code for an automation system, the code executableby a processor to: receive sound data associated with an object via anaudio sensor located at a premises; analyze the sound data; estimate adistance from the audio sensor to a detected sound based at least inpart on the analysis of the sound data; adjust a field of view and afocus of an image sensor based at least in part on the estimateddistance; receive image data associated with an area via the imagesensor located at the premises based at least in part on adjusting thefield of view and the focus; analyze the image data in relation to theanalysis of the sound data; detect a presence of the object within thearea based at least in part on the analysis of the image data; detect anindication of wind based at least in part on detecting the presence ofthe object; identify a false positive associated with the presence ofthe object within the area based at least in part on analyzing the imagedata and analyzing the sound data; and determine whether to generate anotification based at least in part on the detected sound, theidentified false positive, the presence of the object within the area,and the indication of wind.
 18. The method of claim 2, comprising:emitting, by the audio sensor, an ultrasonic sound ping towards theobject; and receiving, at the audio sensor, an echo of the ultrasonicsound ping, wherein estimating the distance from the audio sensor to thedetected sound is based at least in part on the received echo.
 19. Themethod of claim 1, comprising: determining that the object is associatedwith the indication of a wind based at least in part on the analysis ofthe sound data and the analysis of the image data, wherein determiningwhether to generate the notification comprises determining not togenerate the notification based on the object being associated with theindication of the wind.
 20. The method of claim 1, comprising:initiating an adjustment of a focus window of the image sensor.